July 15, 2013 at 2:29 p.m.
Shooting for the top
Rhinelander's Sarkauskas a shooting sports All-American for second time in three years
Shooting for the top
Sarkauskas was recently name a National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) 2013 All-American.
Sarkauskas, who received his commemorative patches from the NSCA last week, accumulated enough points during shooting events throughout the country in 2012 to be named part of the 2013 Briley .410 Bore Super-Veteran All-American team. He finished 29th in his age division in 2012 points. The top 30 received All-America honors.
"It's an award and it's very nice," Sarkauskas said, sitting on the front porch of his farm in the town of Stella. "I'm competing with and against world-class participants of all ages."
To receive the award, Sarkauskas competed in more than 30 events in 2012, taking him to Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin.
It's the second time in the last three years Sarkauskas has received All-America recognition. In 2011, he received the honor in the Briley .410 Super Veteran and Briley National 20 Gauge Super Veteran divisions.
Shooting is second nature to Sarkauskas, who has been handing guns since the age of 10. Competition has taken him around the globe to locations including Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Germany and Africa. His career pinnacle came in 1999 when he won a world championship in a 20 gauge side-by-side event at the Vintage Cup in New York.
Over the past 30 years Sarkauskas has also made several hunting expeditions for big game in Africa.
Thousands of Wisconsinites pick up their trusty shotguns and rifles each year to hunt large and small game, but Sarkauskas said there is a lot more to shooting sports than looking through the sights and pulling the trigger.
For starters it takes endurance - both physical and mental - to compete at the elite level.
"I train regularly," he said. "I'm at the Y (YMCA) three days a week to keep my strength. To compete in these events, you need to outlast people... When you're lifting that gun 300 to 400 times a day - and my gun weighs nine pounds - you feel it here (in your neck and shoulders)."
Endurance helped Sarkauskas win the Super Veteran division at the Wisconsin Fitasc championships July 6-7 in Hudson. He broke 111 out of a possible 150 targets, one more than the runner-up in class on a hot and humid weekend.
"It was so hot Saturday and Sunday and I could tell I was outlasting other people physically. People half my age were running for the shade. But if you're letting the weather dictate how you feel, it's going to take away from your concentration," he said.
Aside from exercise, Sarkauskas spends plenty of time shooting clays on his farm. He estimated that he shot well over 1,000 rounds over the weekend working on a scenario that has given him trouble recently in competition.
The approach is a lot like a professional golfer hitting bucket upon bucket of balls on the driving range to perfect a certain shot. Sarkauskas said there are a lot of similarities between the two sports.
"The two sports are very, very close in that it's you and the target. It's me and the golf ball, me and that target flying. That's it," he said. "The thing about the single-item events - bowling, golf, shooting - (is) you can't hide behind teammates. That's why they're so hard to master, in my opinion."
Sarkauskas uses some of these lessons to teach aspiring shooters. He said he has 37 students, along with teaching children and doing clinics at the YMCA. His goal is to one day coach a world champion.
Sarkauskas is working toward a spot on the 2014 All-American team. He is currently tied for 80th in the 2013 Briley .410 point standings. He said his schedule will include eight or nine more events this year, including the Wisconsin State Championship July 31 through Aug. 4 in Warrens.
Asked if he's going to slow down any time soon, Sarkauskas said he will keep shooting as long as he can.
"I'll shoot until I can't lift a gun," he said. "I'll never slow down. I like to work. I like to do things."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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